A new California law could change how all Americans control their data when using the internet, according to experts. Here’s what it does: 1/2

In July 2022, the United Network for Organ Sharing prohibited transplant hospitals from using race-based eGFR calculations. But many physicians and hospital systems are fighting to keep race-adjusted algorithms. https://bit.ly/4he6pUC 📝 @wordinblacknews.bsky.social

Millions of people across the United States are expected to take part in “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration Saturday. Whether you’re going to protest, counter-protest or just watch, here are some simple steps to take to prepare your phone https://bit.ly/3JaiGwG

As of March 2025, there are 42 risk calculators, 15 medications, five medical devices, five lab test results, and one therapy recommendation that still use race and ethnicity to some capacity in medical decision making. https://bit.ly/4he6pUC 📝 @wordinblacknews.bsky.social

The eGFR, or estimated glomerular filtration rate, is an equation that estimates the percentage of kidney function someone has. For Black people, doctors would increase the value by a few points, simply based on race. https://bit.ly/4he6pUC 📝 @wordinblacknews.bsky.social 📸 Rita Harper

Former and current high school students in Kansas are speaking out about Gaggle, an AI-powered surveillance tool that their school used to scan everything from emails to reporting notes to college entrance essays, reports the @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/... 1/2

This week, @stateline.org reported on how a Biden-era project to expand high-speed broadband to rural regions is being significantly changed by the Trump administration, disqualifying hundreds of thousands of locations from access: stateline.org/2025/09/22/w... 1/3

Black Americans made up more than a quarter of the national transplant list, yet they are far less likely to receive the organs they need to survive. They also account for just 13% of donors. Why? Word in Black has a short survey on barriers to donation: https://bit.ly/41C3RJg

Earlier this month, the @nytimes.com revealed that Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the U.S. almost every eight minutes on average between 2017 and 2022. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/b... 1/2

Dozens of companies are hiding how you can delete your personal data, The Markup and CalMatters found. After our reporters reached out for comment, multiple companies have stopped the practice.

Data brokers are required by California law to provide ways for consumers to request their data be deleted. But good luck finding them.

Have you ever posted support for Palestine on Instagram, and then saw engagement on your subsequent posts drop? Last year, we published an investigation that found the platform demoted images of the war, deleted captions without warning, and denied users the option to appeal.

California lawmakers want to ban companies from using data about consumers’ devices like battery life, model and geolocation to set fluctuating prices. Proponents say such “surveillance pricing” is discriminatory. bit.ly/45AErhq 📝 @mayacmiller.bsky.social

California State Sen. Aisha Wahab's SB 259 would prevent retailers from using artificial intelligence to jack up prices using the information stored on customers’ phones. That could include the phone’s battery life, whether it’s an older model and more: bit.ly/45AErhq 📝 @mayacmiller.bsky.social

As colleges further embed ChatGPT and other chatbots into campus life, experts warn lost relationships may become a devastating unintended consequence. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

Remember that time when you had to sign a bunch of consent forms on a hospital iPad, with no idea what you are agreeing with? Digitizing paperwork could sometimes make it harder to opt out of data sharing or simply accessing your own records. themarkup.org/hello-world/...

The technical blueprint obtained by ProPublica shows that engineers at the agency are preparing to give DHS what it wants: a system that enables massive automated data sharing. By @propublica.org: www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Is your home police department partnering with ICE? Find out: themarkup.org/tools/2025/0...

During her toddler’s surgery, a researcher wanted copies of the consent forms she just signed, but the staff was preventing her from getting it. What followed was a maze of refusals, misinformation, and dead ends that exposed just how broken the process really is themarkup.org/hello-world/... 1/2

While most agree there should be consequences for youth offenders, there’s less consensus about what those consequences should be — and a push for reeducation over extreme charges. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

Cal Fire said it’s working on the fixes, but experts said the process of kicking the tires on a chatbot should happen long before procurement begins.

Students don’t have the same incentives to talk to their professors or even their classmates anymore — Instead, they are asking AI for help. What could go wrong? themarkup.org/artificial-i...

While some states have developed penal codes that factor a perpetrator’s age into their punishment, most do not. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

We asked students and professors about Turnitin, the AI detector colleges are paying millions for. Some were falsely accused, and some are concerned about how the tech is dealing with students’ intellectual property. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

Over the past few years, there has been case after case of school-age children using deepfakes to prank or bully their classmates. And it keeps getting easier to do. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

The bot couldn't: Describe a given wildfire’s containment accurately Provide a list for evacuation supplies Tell users about evacuation orders What else we found: themarkup.org/artificial-i...

California schools are paying millions for the AI detection tool Turnitin, but the tech often makes mistakes and the company requires schools to allow them to keep students’ papers forever. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

Schools and lawmakers are grappling with how to address a new form of peer-on-peer image-based sexual abuse that disproportionately targets girls. With @19thnews.org: themarkup.org/artificial-i...

The U.S. Senate voted not to interfere with state AI regulations, defeating a 10-year moratorium on such laws that had earlier cleared the House and alarmed California officials. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

Honest students sometimes end up being caught in the crossfire of an arms race between technology that mimics human speech and technology that claims to identify it. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

Nevada, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine shared sensitive visitor data with companies like Google and LinkedIn via their own healthcare exchange website. How that happened:

A new bill wants to make it illegal for auto insurers to set prices based on factors unrelated to driving that disproportionately raise costs for Black drivers. themarkup.org/premium-pena...

Turnitin is a longtime leader in the plagiarism- detection market. In 2023, it released a new tool within six months of ChatGPT’s debut to identify AI-generated writing in students’ assignments. 1/6

For @calmatters.org and @themarkup.org, I got to assist with records collection and sourcing on @taragarciam.bsky.social’s latest investigation. If you’re a college student in CA like me, you’ve probably used Turnitin for class — read about the costs here.

NEW: Colleges and universities renew Turnitin subscriptions year after year even though its flawed detectors are expensive and require students to let the company keep their papers forever. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

Google might know what drugs you are taking or which doctors you’ve seen from your state health website. themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2...

Citing an investigation by The Markup and CalMatters, lawmakers in the House of Representatives are questioning why California’s state health insurance exchange shared sensitive health data with LinkedIn. themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2...

TL;DR: You can block website trackers via changing settings, installing privacy-protecting extensions, or switching to a new browser.

Last year, we found that auto insurers still charge Detroit drivers based on where they live after a reform that bans ZIP code-based pricing, with Outlier Media. Now, a bill is offering some fixes.

When you answer the prompts on a state health website, it might be quietly sending your answers to social media companies like LinkedIn and Snapchat. We investigated who’s doing that:

Journo friends: ‪@theguardian.com‬ has published the open source code behind their secure messaging feature for mobile apps.

Is there anything I can do to stop my information from being leaked this way? The answer is yes 👇 themarkup.org/the-breakdow...

State-run health care websites around the country, meant to provide a simple way to shop for insurance, have been quietly sending visitors’ sensitive health information to Google and social media companies. Reporting by @themarkup.org

NEW: State healthcare sites around the country have been quietly sending sensitive user data to Google and LinkedIn. themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2...

State and local law enforcement have surged into a federal program deputizing them as ICE officers — especially in Florida, where they can arrest people off the streets for immigration reasons. themarkup.org/2025/04/16/t...

LAPD and the counties of San Diego, Orange, and Riverside have repeatedly shared automated license plate reader data to federal agencies. By @calmatters.org: calmatters.org/economy/tech...

Millions of people in California could have had sensitive health data sent to LinkedIn without their knowledge or consent. What we found: themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2...

Don’t bring your phone if you are going to a protest. If you have to, read this guide first: themarkup.org/the-breakdow...

If you live in Florida, your local police will be trained to work on behalf of ICE. How and why that’s happening: themarkup.org/2025/04/16/t...

Our investigation with @themarkup.org last year showed that Detroiters pay more for car insurance because of where they live, not how they drive. Now, Rep. Rashida Tlaib wants to outlaw rates based on non-driving factors.